how do i help someone with severe depression?

Question

I have a dear friend who is depressed (due to many reasons such as studies, lack of confidence and such). Furthermore, she is always worrying about herself creating a difficult situation for others, i believe, for fear of losing them as friends. While it is true that her mother is worried sick and anxious, but friends like me are not bothered too much but genuinely want to help.

Right now, all i do is passively let her know that i care and i am not 'troubled' by her condition, but at the same time, i do care for her. I also pray for her.

she have attempted suicide several times through overdosage as well as sliting her wrist.

Let me know of a better way to help her.

my friends out there, my brothers and my sisters.

Thank you! I am overwhelmed by your support and encouragement.

just to let you know more. I am doing everything in accordance to most of your suggestion because i truly believe that it is the best way to help her.

She is already seeing a therapist and a counselor. She is taking her medication as far as i know.

Yes she is recovering and not at the bottom of it. She was actually apparently stabilizing and then she drank 35 pills with dry gin and also hurting herself over and over again.

I am not going to lose her, not without giving my best fight.

You are amazing people. i'm generously encouraged and humbled by knowing that so many people cared and with such genuinity. If given the appropriate opportunity i will definately show this to her. I know she would be encouraged too.

Never have I seen such passion in a group of strangers in trying to help an 'unknown' friend.

Thank you my friends. God bless you.

=)

p.s. hello texas!

Answer 1

Being her friend shows what a compassionate and concerned person you are. However, remember that you are not a doctor, and that she does require mental health experts to help her with her depression.

Encourage her to make an appointment with a psychiatrist and to see a therapist regularly. Offer to go to her appointments with her, and watch to be sure she is taking her medication. (She obviously should be on medication). If the medication isn't working, have her contact her doctor immediately so that changes can be made that will put her back on the right track.

Go for walks with her (excercise is very important), watch funny movies, and try to talk about funny things. Find out what her interests are and encourage her to indulge in those interests (ie: crafts, music, writing, etc.).

She can turn around her lack of self confidence, by discussing her problems with her therapist. Perhaps she didn't learn proper hygiene, wasn't allowed to use makeup or didn't know how to do her hair. Maybe these are some of the things you can do with her to help build her self-confidence, and it will be a bonding experience as well. Let her know you are confident that things will turn around for her and that you consider her a good friend. If she was abused, mentally, physically or sexually, she needs to discuss this with her therapist and perhaps joining a support group would help her as well.

Once she starts responding to the proper medications, her life will look much better to her. Trust me. If she threatens suicide, always call for help and never leave her alone during this time.

Good luck!!! You're a great friend!!

Answer 2

Depressed people are best helped by a therapist.Others can do three things 1)convince them to consult or take them to a therapist ,2)permit "emotional catharsis" ie allow the depressed to speak,write their feelings and listen to all their real or imagined worries and 3)prevent a suicide----suicide is almost always attempted when the individual is gradually going into depression or while recovering from a bout of depression--and during these periods friends and relations have to observe them more carefully.

Answer 3

Wow you are in a tough situation here but it is great to hear that you are very concerend about her. She is lucky to have you by her side. Firstly, i think you should get her to see a doctor who will be able to diagnose her type of depression and how severe it is. Secondly i would advise you to stay by her side. When people are depressed, the last thing they need is for everyone to shut them out. Make sure she is reminded that you care and that there are others in the world going through the same, or much worse situations.
She will deff need professional help in order to over come her situation quicker and more efficiently but dont forget that help, support and love is just as important. Good luck and take care of her :)

Answer 4

You are a good friend and she is very lucky to have you. But she will need more help then you alone can give.

A doctor will be able to give medication , this is the first step. It will ease her fears and able her to see a councillor who can teach different ways to cope with her fears.

We all handle stress and fear differently, and sometimes we need to change our coping skills so that we react to life's problems in a positive way no matter what it throws up at us.

This will not be easy for her or you, and sometimes it will seam that she is going backwards rather then forwards. But it does work and she will become a better and stronger person for her experience.

Answer 5

The best thing is to get professional help. There is only so much a friend can do. I think your friend just needs someone to tell them everything will be alright. Watch out for when she becomes really happy all of a sudden. That normally means she's convinced herself to commit suicide.

Answer 6

You are doing the best thing you can do for your friend : you remain her friend through thick and thin. If she has attempted suicide, she has doctors already. Always be a good listener for her, and don't offer advice. Just listen, and ask questions in response. She is the only person on earth who actually knows what her real problems are. If you remain friends with her, you are giving her the greatest gift you can. Good luck.

Answer 7

The best way is to be there for that person.Don't put any pressure as in making them feel bad for feeling bad.Many people just want to be heard,so say little and listen more,and if your gonna say anything the best thing to say is that everything is going to be okay and that you will be there for them.If you feel that the situation becomes serious ,like if there suicidal or thinking of hurting themselves,then you need to call the paramedics or police to prevent this.

Answer 8

Mental ailment does journey in genes so it would good be viable that you're ache from despair, nevertheless it is an tremendously dangerous inspiration to get a analysis from an internet quiz, despair can also be an tremendously tough factor to diagnose, a fashionable misdiagnosis is assuming folks are depressed whilst they're infact bipolar, antidepressants are tremendously dangerous for folks who can possibly endure from mania. My recommendation might be to search extra recommendation from a extra actual supply, cross on your medical professionals and they will supply you a correct analysis, all you can get on this is folks guessing with out truthfully figuring out you. One more thing that maybe valued at bringing up is despair isn't founded on how well or dangerous your lifestyles is, it is founded on plenty of elements, the chemical on your mind referred to as seratonin is in charge to your temper and occasional phases commonly outcome in despair, theres folks whos brains without problems beneath produce these things, they would have the ideal lifestyles however nonetheless endure from despair. I'd talk on your physician first and notice what he/she says, in case you do certainly have despair this can be scaled, extreme despair can be dealt with with medicines with a view to up seratonin phases and do plenty of alternative matters, you can usually even have a few counselling, much less extreme despair is by and large disregarded via medical professionals in Europe however in America it is dealt with with antidepressants, if the physician involves the realization your no longer ache from despair in any respect then do not inform your mother and father, or else I'd don't forget discussing it with them after analysis.

Answer 9

Get her a copy of the book "Feeling Good, the New Mood Therapy" by David D. Burns, M.D.

It is a thought-process-correcting book with better results than pills, in various studies... I myself take pills, but I also find that I think every thought identified in this book that triggers depression...

Answer 10

There's not much you can do for her. My sister used to cut herself daily from low self esteem, she didn't want to die but if she kept doing it I knew she would, I was just there when she needed to talk especially when I saw a stresser coming on. If your friend refuses to go to a doctor tell her about St. John's Wort, I love that stuff. I hate taking drugs from doctors but swear by St. Johns. There's no side effects and it starts working within two days.